Quiz: Howstuffworks

The Animal Kingdom Trivia Quiz

Robin Tyler

Image: Adria Photography/Moment/Getty Images

About This Quiz

No doubt about it, the animal kingdom is a fascinating place!

Its amazing just how many different animals there are out there. Of course, we know all the regulars like the lion, the king of the jungle, or the African elephant, so graceful for a creature that massive. But what about those lesser known creatures, the denizens of the deep or those that hide away, deep in jungles, high up mountains or any other place where their contact with humans is minimal.

Sadly, some animals are not that lucky. Human contact has driven them to extinction, or certainly put them on the brink of it. Think of the black rhino from Africa. In the past 50 years, its numbers have dropped by 80 percent because of mankind. How sad is that? Or what of a certain flightless bird from Mauritius. It took just around 200 years from discovery to extinction for that poor species.

So, how much do you know about the animal kingdom? Well, this quiz is going to test your knowledge to the extreme. Will you prove to be the king of the jungle or will you slink away with your tail between your legs?

Good luck!

True or false? In the wild, female lions are the predominant hunters over their male counterparts.

True

False

Indeed, it is true. Male lions make around 20 kills a year. The female lions in a pride are the predominant hunters, making sure there is enough food to feed their young.

Of the options below, which of these has a brain smaller than its eye?

Lion

Ostrich

Shrew

Blue whale

A flightless bird from Africa, the ostrich is not that clever. In fact, its eye is bigger than its brain. That said, it does have a fairly large eye! Ostriches can run pretty fast but when predators approach, they are known to run in circles instead of away from danger!

Can you tell us which of these is the only mammal that's able to fly?

Blackbird

Flying squirrel

Bat

Dragonfly

Bats are the only mammals capable of powered flight. This means by flapping their wings, they can keep themselves aloft. Mammals, such as the flying squirrel or flying lemur, technically don't fly but glide. In other words, they cannot keep themselves aloft at any point.

Which of these animals stays connected while sleeping to stop them from drifting apart?

Blue whale

Octopus

Dolphins

Sea otter

When sleeping, sea otters will ensure that they don't drift apart from each other by holding paws. Smaller otters will ride on their mothers' stomachs to ensure they don't drift off. Cute!

Which of these is the main part of a Panda's diet?

Bamboo

Bark

Meat

Fish

Panda's are beautiful, aren't they? An endangered species, 99 percent of their diet is made up of bamboo. This includes stems, leaves and shoots. Depending on its size, a panda can eat up to 38 kilograms of bamboo each day!

African elephants are pregnant for how many months?

Nine

22

89

Three

African elephants carry their babies for 22 months before they are born. The Indian elephant carries for less time, usually anywhere from 18 to 22 months.

Are reptiles warm-blooded or cold-blooded creatures?

Warm-blooded

Cold-blooded

Reptiles are a species of animal that are fairly easy to recognize. Perhaps the easiest way is that they have hard, scaly skin. Reptiles are cold-blooded creatures. This means their heat is regulated by the temperature around them.

True or false? Primates, like gorillas, can get common colds just like humans do.

True

False

That is indeed true. Why? Well, primates are very similar to humans. In fact, we share 96 percent of our DNA with chimps, who although are not gorillas, are very similar.

Which of these birds make a cooing sound?

Eagle

Raven

Pigeon

Hen

Pigeons certainly are a dime a dozen. We see them daily all over our neighborhoods. They make a number of different sounds but are perhaps most well known for their cooing. This is often used to attract a mate.

A group of lions is known as a _______.

School

Pride

Herd

Clutch

A pride of lions can number up to 40 at a time. Most of the time, there are three males, a host of females and all the offspring. Asian lions are different from African lions in that their pride is split along gender.

Of these options, which bird has the largest wingspan?

Fish Eagle

Condor

Bald eagle

Albatross

Of all the birds in the world, the albatros has the largest wingspan. Examples have been measured at more than 12 feet. This is because the albatross flies for days at a time, covering miles upon miles. In fact, the longest one of these birds has been recorded for in flight is 46 days.

From this list, can you pick out the world's smallest mammal?

Pygmy possum

Hamster

Etruscan shrew

Pygmy jerboa

Craseonycteris thonglongyai, or the Etruscan shrew, is one of the smallest mammals in the world. It is not the outright winner and shares the title with the bumblebee bat out of Thailand.

If you hear the name Portuguese Man 'O War, what animal of the options below do you think of?

Jellyfish

Snake

Shark

Lizard

The Portuguese man o' war is found mostly in the Atlantic Ocean. Although they are similar to jellyfish, if you want to be very technical, they are not true jellyfish because they are made up of a number of multi-cell organisms, where a jellyfish is one organism. Steer clear of them, just as you would a jellyfish because they too can sting.

Star fish have how many arms?

Three

Fou

Seven

Five

A marine invertebrate, starfish are found in oceans throughout the world. In fact, there are more than 1,500 different species. They all have one thing in common, though. They have five arms.

True or false? The offspring of a kangaroo is called a pup?

True

False

No, the offspring of a kangaroo is not known as a pup. Kangaroos, which belong to the mammal group, give birth to their young, which they keep in natural pouches appearing on their bodies. A baby kangaroo is known as a joey.

Can you tell us which is the largest mammal in the world?

African elephant

Rhinosauraus

Hippopotamus

Blue whale

The blue whale is the biggest mammal on the planet. It can reach up to 25 meters in length and weigh up to 140,000 kilograms!

In which country can you be executed for killing a panda?

Japan

China

Cambodia

Thailand

Giant panda bears are an endangered species and protected in China. Often hunted for their meat, the Chinese government has banned their killing. In fact, if someone is caught killing a panda, they can be executed.

Which of these is a flightless bird?

Hummingbird

Kiwi

Toucan

Plover

Native to New Zealand, the kiwi bird cannot fly. In fact, its Latin name, Apteryx, means wingless. These nocturnal birds are broken into five distinct species, all living in forested areas.

Can you name the fastest animal on earth?

Leopard

Roadrunner

Cheetah

Wild dog

Cheetahs are the fastest land animal on earth. These wild cats are blessed with incredible acceleration and a top speed of around 120 mph which they use to hunt their prey.

On Earth, how many species of animals have been identified?

1 million and counting

10 million

500,000

30,000

When it comes to species, to date, more than 1 million different kinds of animals (including insects, fish and just about everything you can think of) have been discovered on our planet.

Of these animals, which is currently the most endangered species in the world?

Cheetah

Black rhino

Wildebeest

Giraffe

Sadly, the black rhino is under real threat of extinction and mostly as a result of poaching. Their numbers have dropped from around 65,000 in the 1970s to just 2,500 today.

How long do great white sharks live?

10 years

20 years

70 years

120 years

Thanks to tagging, scientists have established that great white sharks, the apex predator of the deep, live up to 70 years. This is much longer than they previously thought was possible.

Animals that are not active during cold weather periods are said to be _______.

Gestating

Hibernating

Resting

In utero

Animals hibernate during periods when they are unable to find food, for instance, during cold winters. They do this by lowering their metabolism and remaining inactive, which reduces their energy usage.

Husky dogs are able to handle cold weather with ease. How many layers of fur do they have?

Five

Seven

One

Two

The husky is built for cold conditions and often used as a pack dog. To withstand the cold, a husky has two layers of fur, an outer coat and an under coat. That's a lot of shedding right there!

Which of these is a member of the crocodile family found in the Indian sub-continent?

Gharial

Alligator

Caiman

None of the above

Part of the crocodile family, the gharial is extremely endangered. In fact, there are only a little more than 200 left in the world. This is due to their living areas being reduced due to human expansion.

From the list below, pick the largest predator found in Australia.

Lion

Leopard

Dingo

None of the above

The Land Down Under is home to some interesting animals with the dingo, essentially a wild dog, the largest predator on the continent. They generally live in packs.

Which of these is the fastest bird in the world?

Peregrine falcon

Swift

Fish eagle

Rock dove

Not only the fastest bird but the fastest recorded creature in the animal kingdom, the peregrine falcon can reach speeds of up to 320 km/h while diving! It uses these incredible speeds to surprise its prey when hunting.

From the options below, can you name the bird, now extinct, only found on the island of Mauritius?

Dodo

New Zealand quail

Amsterdam duck

Viti Levu scrubfowl

Have you heard the famous saying, "As dead as a dodo?" Unfortunately, the dodo, a flightless bird found only in Mauritius, went extinct around 1700, a mere 100 years after having first been sighted by Dutch sailors

What is the national bird of the United States?

Hummingbird

Kingfisher

Bald eagle

Sand plover

Despite the fact that it is the national bird of the United States, the bald eagle was once on the brink of extinction. A sea eagle, bald eagles are not actually bald but have a white feathery head.

The skin of a polar bear is which color?

White

Brown

Orange

Black

Yes, that is right! A polar bear has black skin. Its fur is not actually clear but reflects sunlight, making it look white.

True or false? Like their fur, a tiger's skin is also striped.

True

False

Tigers are beautiful creatures, are they not? And it is all down to that incredible striped fur. Their skin is also striped. And much like a fingerprint, no two tigers share the same pattern.

Which of these animals do not have teeth?

Elephant shrew

Garden mole

Ant eater

Hamster

Ant eaters have no need for teeth. To gobble up their prey, they use their specialized tongue. With it, they can consume as much as 30,000 ants per day!

Can you identify an ocean dweller that possesses a large tusk?

Narwhal

Black marlin

Barracuda

Sperm whale

Narwhal's don't actually possess a tusk. The long protrusion that comes out of their heads is actually a tooth! It is soft on the outside and harder on the inside, the exact opposite of a normal tooth.

Which of these birds has a large, colorful beak?

Great egret

Toucan

Kakapo

Quetzal

Toucans are found throughout South and Central America. They are known for their large, colorful beaks. Although they are fruit eaters, they will also eat insects should they get the chance.

Can you name the fastest fish in the ocean?

Mako shark

Black marlin

Tuna

Dover sole

The fastest fish in our oceans is the black marlin. This game fish is capable of swimming at up to 129 km/h! That's simply incredible and faster than a cheetah!

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